The Best Wine Bucket To Keep Your Wine Cool

The Best Wine Bucket To Keep Your Wine Cool

A wine bucket, often referred to as wine cooler or chiller, is an important wine serving element that allows you to keep white or sparkling wines at serving temperature even on the hottest afternoon. Along with other important instruments such as the bottle opener, wine stopper, and decanter, the wine bucket is an important accessory for any sommelier.

If you already know what a wine bucket is and don’t feel like reading through our article, click on the links below to jump to our best wine bucket reviews. Alternatively, keep reading to find out more about wine buckets and other wine chilling methods.

What Is A Wine Bucket

A wine bucket is a small bucket usually made of stainless steel, silver, or crystal that is used to keep the wine cool and at a serving temperature during the meal. In French, the wine bucket is called “Seau a glace”, meaning literally ice bucket.

This term offers a more comprehensive description of the functionality of the wine bucket. In fact, this container is filled with ice and it is used exclusively for sparkling, white, and sometimes rosé wines.

Although the function of the bucket is clear, not many know that sommeliers usually use a wine bucket for two reasons. The first is to keep a chilled wine at serving temperature throughout the meal. The second purpose is to chill a wine quickly before serving.

The wine bucket is typically a compact and fancy object yet sommeliers rarely set directly on the table. Most of the times the wine bucket is placed on a stand next to the table and it is covered with a towel used to dry the bottle before pouring the wine into glasses.

However, thanks to its simple use, wine buckets are popular objects that many wine lovers use at home. For residential use, many manufacturers propose wine buckets made of less pretentious and less expensive materials, such as plastic or glass.

At home, you can place the bucket on the dinner table whilst enjoying your meal to keep your favorite wine cool. Although simple to use, many wine lovers make the mistake of filling the bucket with ice before placing the wine bottle in the bucket. For this reason, here is how to use it:

Place the wine bottle in the center of the bucket:

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Fill the bucket with ice, making sure that the bottle is surrounded;

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Add a small glass of water to the bucket;

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Cover with a white towel to give it a fancy look.

A wine bucket can be used for many purposes ranging from casual serving during a meal to impressing your guests at a wine party. Speaking about parties, there are some models of wine buckets that can accommodate multiple bottles at a time and that represent a great investment for when you want to have fun with your friends.

However, if you still think a wine bucket is too fancy, here are a few other ways to keep cool a bottle of wine.

Other Ways Of Keeping Wine Cool

Besides the wine bucket, there are many other accessories you can use to keep the wine at serving temperature. A popular alternative is the Glacette bucket.

Made of plastic, stainless steel, or glass, this type of bucket presents double walls that insulate the internal environment. Thanks to this characteristic, the glacette is able to keep the wine cool by preventing the thermic transfer between the cold bottle and the environment.

Another popular way of keeping a bottle cool is with the help of a thermic sleeve. The sleeve is made of an insulating material that is chilled in the freezer before use. Once the sleeve is cold, take it out of the freezer and wrap it around the bottle.

This modern method of keeping wine cool is a popular alternative to the wine bucket because of the hassle-free use. You will not have to worry about melting ice, water drops and mess. The sleeve can keep a bottle cool for up to two hours.

An innovative alternative is the bottle corkcicle, a cooling device designed to keep cool the wine from the inside of the bottle. This fancy device is a sort of wine pourer and aerator with a long glass wand that goes into the liquid. The pourer is frozen prior to use and it keeps the wine at serving temperature for a short period of time.

Although there are many alternatives, a wine bucket is still the most traditional and stylish way of keeping a wine cool. Therefore, let’s have a look at the best wine bucket reviews.

Best Wine Bucket Reviews

1. Artland Oasis Party Tub with Stand

I already mentioned above that some popular models of wine buckets are designed specifically for parties. One of them is the Artland Oasis Party Tub with Stand, a bucket that can easily accommodate 10 bottles of wine or of other preferred beverage.

The Artland set consists of a huge bucket made of galvanized steel and a wrought iron stand. Alternatively, you can opt for a bucket made of copper and you can even choose to buy only the bucket or only the stand, depending on circumstances.

The material is thick enough to make the bucket look pretentious, although the price is more than affordable.

A nice detail is the towel ring placed on the side of the bucket, a detail that gives a professional look to the accessory. The manufacturer also produces a matching ice scoop that is sold separately.

Things We Liked

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Thick stainless steel: the bucket has thick stainless steel walls designed to maintain the wine at a constant serving temperature for at least a few hours.

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Flawless design: simple lines are always the most stylish, and this is demonstrated by the flawless design of this bucket.

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High-quality: this wine bucket is made to last in time. The stainless steel will not rust and the shiny aspect of the item will maintain itself over the years.

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Several purchase options: you can buy a single bucket or choose a different package containing three or six buckets, depending on your needs.

Things We Didn't Like

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Some consumers complained about the bucket arriving with small visual defects.

3. Prodyne Big Square Party Tub

If what you need is a large but unpretentious wine bucket to chill both wine and other beverages, then the Prodyne Big Square Party Tub might be the accessory you were looking for.

This party tub is made of durable styrene and it is large enough to accommodate even 12 bottles of wine or other beverages. However, I wouldn’t recommend chilling more than five wine bottles at a time if you want to prevent leaks.

A great feature of this bucket is that it doesn’t sweat. Not even in the hottest temperatures. This is great especially if you plan an indoor party and want to avoid getting your furniture stained.

The bucket also features two sturdy handles that add convenience to the design. The transparent walls are also a big plus as you will be able to see when it’s time to throw the water away and add more ice.

Things We Liked

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Large capacity: the bucket is perfect for large parties and family gatherings. It can hold a lot of different drinks and it keeps the temperature constant for a fairly long time.

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Shape: another attractive aspect is the square shape. Having a wine bucket of a shape different than round is nice as it will give a touch of originality to the party.

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Durable: the beverage tub is made of styrene, a durable material that is scratch resistant and that won’t suffer excessive damages if dropped.

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Multiple options: the bucket is large enough to hold up to 12 bottles, but if you need more room, you can choose to buy two buckets.

Things We Didn't Like

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Although large, this bucket is still expensive for a bucket made of plastic. Nevertheless, it is probably worth the money.

4. Prodyne On Ice Party Tub

A smaller option from the same manufacturer is the Prodyne On Ice Party Tub, a wine bucket with a capacity of four bottles.

This bucket is also made of transparent plastic but in this case, the manufacturer replaced the styrene with acrylic, a material that is more clear and that resembles glass more closely.

The bucket strikes with its irregular shape and you will certainly be able to impress all your guests with your stylish artistic taste.

Moreover, the bucket is break-resistant, scratch-resistant and BPA free. All these features ensure a great durability and also that the product is food-grade safe.

Things We Liked

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Shape: the best thing about this wine bucket is the original shape. The four-bottle capacity is a nice add-on, though, as you will be able to use it even if you have many guests.

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Durability: the bucket is made of food-grade durable acrylic. You’ll not have to worry about breaking it or scratching it, and the item will maintain its transparency in time.

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No condensation: one of the main issues with ice buckets is the formation of condensation on the container’s walls. This is not the case of this wine bucket that doesn’t sweat, maintaining your furniture stain-free.

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Functional: the bucket has two convenient handles that make it easy to move even when full. Moreover, the item can be used for multiple purposes when you don’t have to chill any drinks.

Things We Didn't Like

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Again, the price is a drawback of this item. Although beautiful, sturdy, and durable, this item costs a little too much for an acrylic bucket.

5. Agog Ice Bucket Clear Acrylic

If you like acrylic wine buckets but a four-bottle capacity is too much, another great bucket to consider is the Agog Ice Bucket Clear Acrylic.

As its name suggests, this wine bucket is made of clear acrylic that imitates glass flawlessly. The bucket has a capacity of two bottles and its construction is sturdy and durable.

The design is really beautiful. The oval shape inspires elegance while the irregular lines give it a contemporary look. Thanks to these details, the bucket will look perfect on your table regardless of how casual or fancy the event is.

Another thing I like is the presence of handles. Compared with other models, this bucket has large handles that allow an easier handling. Useless to say this is more than convenient.

Things We Liked

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Durable acrylic: the bucket is made of durable acrylic that is scratch-resistant and that doesn’t break easily. Thanks to this characteristic, the item will keep its clarity for a longer time.

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Large handles: moving a bucket full of ice from one place to another isn’t as easy as it seems. For this reason, the large handles are a huge plus.

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Two-bottle capacity: this bucket is perfect if you want to impress your better half with your food and wine pairing techniques. Serving two different wines during the meal is usually recommended and you could even serve a still wine and champagne at a romantic event.

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Versatile: who said that you have to use this wine bucket only to chill beverages? You can use it for countless other purposes when you have nothing to chill.

Things We Didn't Like

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The bucket is beautiful and does its job wonderfully, but it still doesn’t look as better as glass.

Conclusion & Final Pick

It is easy to see that wine buckets come in all shapes, materials, and dimensions. It is easy to find the perfect cooler for a single bottle, for two, or even for a dozen.

The choice will always be dictated by your needs and personal taste. However, as a true wine lover, I consider the Winco WB-4 4 Quart Wine Bucket the best wine bucket on the market.

This bucket looks professionally and even a sommelier would use it. Moreover, its stylish look will say a lot about your wine knowledge when presenting the bottle to your friends. Wine tasting is a refined art and even if the large buckets are wonderful to use during parties, the Winco is more appropriate if you want to show that wine is your passion.

I like everything about this wine bucket. Starting with the flawless lines, stainless steel finish and beautiful details. Paired with other wine accessories proposed by the manufacturer, this wine bucket will certainly become the center of the attention when setting on the table.

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